Jamaica Bay

May 2017

Jim once again traveled to New York, for the Waterfront Alliance meeting on the Hornblower.  This trip also took him to Jamaica Bay where he made some first hand observations, and had the opportunity to dig into some history as he walked the islands and shoreline of the Bay.   There is much work to be done.  Recovery from Sandy is not as visible along Roackaway Beach.  The Atlantic sand dune restorations project seems be be looking good however residents are not liking the access that eliminates someone that cannot climb stairs and walk an extended distance to the shore.  The Brookland side is in need homeowner living shoreline activities to deal with storm water outflow and add oyster habitat.

There are so many ways that Reef Balls can meet the need of the Bay Restoration.   One exciting possibility is in the works for a summer camp setting teaching about oyster restoration, building reef balls and having students place and monitor the units.   Donations to the project are needed.

A great partnership for studies of the Bay is https://www.srijb.org/  The Science and Resilience Institute.

2012

Description: A small oyster bed and a field of reef balls were placed within Jamaica Bay to evaluate oyster growth, survival, reproduction, water quality and ecological benefits given existing environmental conditions in the bay

“DEP is conducting two oyster reintroduction pilot studies within Jamaica Bay – the design and construction of an oyster bed off of Dubos Point, Queens, and the place-ment of oyster reef balls in Gerritsen Creek, Brooklyn. These oyster pilot projects are being conducted to evaluate whether climatic and environ-mental conditions within the bay are suitable for oyster growth, survival and reproduction. The study is also measuring how effective these bivalves are at filtering various pollutants affecting the bay such as nitrogen, other nutrients, and particulate organic matter. If the pilot is successful, the oysters could not only help regenerate the natural environment of the bay, but also provide additional water quality benefits.”   Retrieved from NYC Jamaica Bay Water Protection Plan 2012  full pdf below

https://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/jamaica_bay/JBWPP_Update_100112_FINAL.pdf

https://www.hudsonriver.org/estuary-program   New York-New Jersey Harbor and Estuary Program